Export photos from Lightroom Classic

In Lightroom Classic, you don't save photos in the traditional sense. Instead, you export photos. You can export photos in various file formats suitable for a wide range of uses.

For example, you can:

Export photos as JPEGs to share online or as TIFFs for a print publication.

Export to a folder on a computer or to an attached or networked drive, such as a Flash drive.

Burn the photos to a disc after exporting so you can share them on a CD or DVD.

When you export photos, you create new files that include Develop module adjustments and other changes you’ve made to the photos’ XMP metadata. When exporting, you can choose a photo’s filename, color space, pixel dimensions, and resolution. You can save export settings as presets for reuse.

In addition, you can use the Publish Services panel to export and upload JPEG photos directly from Lightroom Classic to photo-sharing websites. You can also upload layouts from the Book module to Blurb.com. See Post photos online using publish services.

Export photos

To export photos from Lightroom Classic to a computer, hard drive, or Flash drive, follow these steps:

Choose File > Export, or click the Export button in the Library module. Then, choose Export To > Hard Drive in the pop-up menu at the top of the Export dialog box.

The top of the Export dialog box indicates how many photos will be exported. Expandable panels provide options to rename files, select a file format, and more.

To export to a Flash drive, choose Export To > Hard Drive, and in the Export Location panel, choose Export To > Specific Folder. Then, click Choose and navigate to the Flash drive.

(Optional) Choose an export preset. Lightroom Classic has several presets to make it easier to export photos to disk in specific file formats. For example, the For Email preset generates a 72-dpi JPEG image and automatically sends the email from Lightroom Classic. If desired, select a preset from the left side of the Export dialog box and skip to step 6. See Export photos using presets.

Specify a destination folder, naming conventions, and other options in the various Export dialog box panels.

For example, use the File Settings panel to choose a format for your exported photos — JPEG, PSD, TIFF, PNG, DNG, or the original format — and choose a color space. See File settings.

In the Image Sizing panel, specify how to size the image — dimensions and resolution. See Image sizing.

(Optional) Save your export settings. To save your export settings for reuse, click Add at the bottom of the Preset panel on the left side of the Export dialog box. See Save export settings as presets.

Click Export.

Multi-Batch Export

Starting from Lightroom Classic version 9.0, you can perform multiple export jobs for the same set of images all at once. When you select multiple presets and export a photo, Lightroom Classic exports one image for every preset selected.

If you want to export your photos in a specific preset, you can select the preset and export them. For more information, see Export photos.

Choose File > Export, or click the Export button in the Library module. Then, choose Export To > Hard Drive in the pop-up menu at the top of the Export dialog box.

Choose the presets, in which you want to export your photos, by selecting the checkbox in front of the preset names. Once you select a checkbox for a preset, all the settings in the Export dialog box panels are disabled.

If you want to see or update the export settings of a preset, clear all the checkboxes, and click the preset for which you want to update the settings.

Multi-batch export by selecting the checkbox in front of the preset name.

Note:

You cannot select Email and CD/DVD export presets and the checkboxes for these presets are disabled.

Click Export. If the export location for any of your selected presets is set to Choose folder later or if the specified export location is invalid, you get the Folder Selection dialog box. Choose an export location for each selected preset and click Done.

Choose an export location for each selected preset.

Note:

If there is any conflict in file naming while performing multi-batch export, the name of the preset is appended to the name of the exported file.

FAQ

When you select one or more export presets in the Export dialog, Post-Processing section and other sections created by third-party plug-in are hidden in the Export Settings. However, the export settings defined for Post Processing and other sections from third-party plug-ins in the export preset are respected and images are exported accordingly.

Clicking the preset name does not select the checkbox, it updates the export settings in the Export dialog based on the settings defined in the selected preset.

Selecting the checkbox for one or more presets removes the selection from the preset name to avoid confusion with existing preset selection behavior.

Selecting the checkbox for a preset does not update its export settings in the Export dialog. You need to click the preset name to see its export settings.